Omar is an artist, researcher, and designer, working across digital image, sound design, coding, writing, and performative instances.

Their expanded artistic practice investigates the complex entanglement between human cognition, constructed environments, and technology; while addressing themes concerning the dichotomy of hope and defeat, time and space, memory and reality, human error and AI, language use, and hegemony.​

Omar holds an MA in Arts in Public Spheres from École de design et haute école d’art du Valais - édhéa (CH), a BA in Management Information Systems (EG), and was a fellow artist in both the Ashkal Alwan Home Workspace Program (LB) and Mass Alexandria Open Studio and Study Program (EG).​

They were the co-founder and creative director of Tara al Bahr, an online platform and a non-periodical publication that deals with cultural and artistic practices and contemporary urban changes in Alexandria (2015-17). And the creative director of Behna (el wekalah), a hybrid art space for traditional and unconventional cinema, contemporary art practice, and alternative education in Alexandria (2020-22).

Artist Statement

The fundamental reality of myself is not something under my skin, but rather everything outside of it. Thus, in the act of describing it, I can only think of the multitude of possibilities, environments, and contexts within which I happen to exist.

My artistic practice draws its basis from a subjective point of view of my realities, where I see its manifestation moments as a series of attempts rather than moments of resolution. These attempts often examine the entanglement of technology, constructed environments, and human cognition.
Thus far, within these paradigms of understanding, my projects delve into the domains of the human psyche in cyberspace, the dichotomy of hope and defeat in political imaginaries, the nature/culture divide, and hegemony.

My projects usually start with research questions that stem from a geo-specific observation followed by a process of investigation that combines a theoretical investigation with practical experimentation. From there, the choice of the medium emerges. The body of works I have so far spans digital image, sound, writing, and an increasing presence of performative instances.
I usually combine more than one medium in an installation or a performative form. The machines used in my work are treated as objects in a sculptural constellation or as integral elements in set design.

Within each of my artworks, I attempt to share one more piece of myself, often in a convoluted way. I attempt to ask more questions rather than giving answers, show more doubts rather than certainty, and try to evoke an ambiguous interplay between the work and the spectators, not to deliver a specific message but to activate certain moods.

Education & Art Fellowships:

2018 - 2020
Master of Arts in Fine Arts, major in MAPS - Arts in Public Spheres, at École de design et haute école d’art du Valais - édhéa, HES-SO University of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sierre, Switzerland.
‍
​2017 - 2018
Home Workspace Program Fellowship at Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, Lebanon.​
‍
2017
Free Studies on Sculpture at The Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt.
‍
​2015 - 2016
Mass Alexandria Independent Studio & Study Program, Alexandria, Egypt.

2008 - 2012
Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems. Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

GRANTS, Residencies & WORKSHOPS:

  • 2023
  • “Extended Ecologies”, research lab, Medrar for Contemporary Art (EG), Critical Media Lab (CH).
  • 2022
  • “CODE”, collaborative project, IMPAK (NL), School of Machines (DE), Werktank(BE), Privacy Salon/Privacytopia (BE).
  • 2020
  • “Written to be spoken”, Online residency, Live Praxes #2, Cairo, Egypt.
  • “Digital Residency”, Online residency, Goethe-Institut Kairo, Cairo, Egypt.
  • “The Internet of Things” Online residency, Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan.
  • 2019
  • Hans Joerg Wyss fellowship.
  • “Becoming a River - Liquid Disasters and Speculative Stories” Summer school, IstitutoSvizzero, Rome, Italy.
  • 2018
  • Hans Joerg Wyss fellowship.
  • 2017
  • Home Workspace studio residency, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Participation Grant, Mophradat.
  • 2016
  • Mass Alexandria studio residency, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • 2015
  • North & South residency organized by Bibliotheca Alexandrina, funded by European Union.
  • AtWork workshop with curator Simon Njami, Lettera27.
  • 2014
  • Grants to Art from British Council.

SELECTED exhibitions:

  • 2022
  • Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria.
  • Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
  • 2021
  • «Roznama 8», Medrar, Cairo, Egypt.
  • 2020
  • «The Internet of Things», Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan.
  • «Palp Festival 10th Edition», Valais, Switzerland.
  • «Situations Sensibles», F’ar, Laussane, Switzerland.
  • 2019
  • «Immersion», collaborative exhibition, Espace DémArt, Laussane, Switzerland.
  • «Roznama 7», Medrar, Cairo, Egypt.
  • «Experiencing Athens», La Fabrik, Monthey, Switzerland.
  • 2018
  • «HWP Open Studio», Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • 2017
  • «Di-Egy Fest 0.2», Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
  • «The Art of Getting Lost in The City», Wekalet Behna, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • 2016
  • ​«End of Year Exhibition», Mass Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • «Something to Generate From», Kunsthal Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • «BA 7th Biennale for the Artist’s Book», Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • «Log In», Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
  • «AtWork», Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt.
  • «Agenda», Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • 2015
  • «26th Youth Salon», Palace of Arts, Cairo, Egypt.
  • «North & South», Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt.

Performances & Lectures:

professional experience:

May 2013 to Present:
Freelance Visual Artist/Art Director/Creative Director​/Graphic Designer
‍
Oct 2020 to Mar 2022:
Creative Director at Behna (el wekalah)
‍
Aug 2015 to Aug 2017:
Co-Founder/Creative Director at Tara L Bahr (It Sees The Sea) Art Magazine

Jan 2018 to Jun 2018:
Visual Content and Media Manager at Theater is a Must Forum

Jan 2017 to Jun 2017:
Communications and Documentation Art Director at Nassim El Raqs

Sep 2016 to Dec 2016:
Publicity and Documentation Art Director at Oufuqy Music Forum​

Apr 2016 to Apr 2017:
Publicity and Documentation Art Director at Gudran Association for Arts and Development

May 2015 to Jul 2015:
Visual Content and Media Manager at Oufuqy Music Forum

Mar 2015 to Mar 2016:
Documentation and Media Coordinator at Gudran Association for Arts and Development

Oct 2014 to Feb 2015:
Video Documentation Art Director at Gudran Association for Arts and Development

Feb 2014 to Apr 2016:
Visual Content and Media Manager at Theater is a Must Forum

Publications & Appearances:

  • 2022
  • "Reclaiming Digital Agency: Ars Electronica X CODE Panel", Linz, Austria.
  • 2021
  • “Let the sea eat me: to perform a Ferry”, Performance scripts book by Mohamed Abdelkarim, ESMAT Publishing List, Cairo.
  • 2020
  • “SENSITIVE SITUATIONS - FOR AN AESTHETICS OF ATMOSPHERE”, Edited by Robert Ireland and Nicolas Vermot-Petit-Outhenin, EDHEA - École de design et Haute école d'art du Valais, Edition fink, Zurich.
  • “Digital Arabia Network” Dec.
  • 2017
  • “Darb 1718's Top Artists to Look Out for in 2017” Egypt Today Magazine, IBA media, Jan.
  • 2016
  • “MASS Alexandria 2016: A busy and approachable final exhibition” Mada Masr, Dec.